Sheridan Montana

[Majja]

Has anyone heard of this place, and secondly is there any fishing up there this time of year. I am going up to my little brothers wedding next week and was just wondering if i may be able to find any decent fishing in that neck of the woods (weather permitting of coarse). Any kind of line wetting would be fine.

Thanks
Matt
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[flyanddrive]

Are you kidding? It's Montana! You are never very far away from good fishing! Seriously though you are right next to the Ruby River which can be pretty good fly fishing from what I hear. Check out this site for a little more info: [url "http://www.bigskyfishing.com/River-Fishing/SW-MT-Rivers/ruby-river/ruby_overview.php"]http://www.bigskyfishing.com/River-Fishing/SW-MT-Rivers/ruby-river/ruby_overview.php[/url]

You are also not far from Ennis and the Maddison river which is world class. I have never fished it in the winter but you can stop at one of the fly shops in Ennis to get some tips.
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[ajensen83]

I have fished the madison and it is awesome.. the fishing there is great year round.. in the winter you have to deal with ice around the edges but it is usually no big deal... if you get a chance fish the madison..
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[TheCanadian]

You are headed to some of the best fly fishing country in Montana. I spent a week there just this past August, and fished most of the big name Rivers in the area.

I would be able to give you some advice if you told me what sort of experience you're looking for.

Big fish? Small rivers/creeks, or would you want to fish "The big 4" i.e. Madison, Ruby, Missouri, Beaverhead?

I have never fished up there in the winter, but have made a handful of trips up there in other seasons.


Let me know what sort of experience you're looking for, and I could give you some better direction.


Sheridan is very close to almost every river mentioned above. When I go, I stay in Laurin, smaller town just South of Sheridan.
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[Majja]

Thanks for the info Canadian. I am actually just looking for something to do the day after the wedding, so any fishing would be good, I just want to get on the water. So any advice and or suggestions would be great.
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[TheCanadian]

Well the Ruby River runs right next to Sheridan, but I believe all of it is private through that entire stretch. In my opinion, I had some of my best days fishing the Beaverhead. The closest access is within 10 minutes of Sheridan. I have fished it closer to the Dillon area, and over by I-15, but I believe fish can be caught just about anywhere in that river. I had some amazing days in 3-4 different spots on the Beaverhead last spring.

Like I said, I have never fished any of that area in the winter, so maybe someone on here will chime in with some better info.

If you are looking for local advice, there is a fly shop in Ennis, and the guys were pretty cool in there, willing to give out info on local waters. I spent almost a half hour just chatting with one guy in there that was really cool, and he had a lot of knowledge on local waters. He referred me to some GREAT water. If you drive into Ennis coming from Sheridan, it is the big fly shop on your right, with a dry fly mounted on top of the store that's like 5 feet tall. You could also look them up online, and probably call for more info.


Let me know if you have any more questions, and let us know how you do. If you ever get a chance to go up there in the spring or fall, let me know, that's when I've fished up there the most, and am more familiar with the conditions.

I know you're only going for a day, but I would recommend purchasing a DeLorme topo map of Montana, and using that to navigate around the backroads. Some of the best fishing in Montana is not necessarily on the most talked about stretches of rivers.

Good luck!
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[Majja]

Thanks for the info. I will try and look them up.
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[bigfishsmlfly]

Montana has a great stream access law that allows you to fish within the rivers highwater marks regardless of who owns the property that the river crosses. You can also generally access the rivers from bridges as long as you stay within the bridge easement. I know some landowners put fences up on the bridges in and around Sheridan to restrict access but they're not suppose to. This has been a heated battle on the Ruby River for a few years I guess. Bottom line though, if you can get on it without trespassing, you can fish it.

I fish the Madison several times a year, never in the winter, but I understand there are some great midge hatches that happen.

Good luck.
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